Funny Weather by Kate Evans (Myriad Editions, 2006)

The more I look at the human race, the more we seem to resemble a bunch of dimwitted lemmings.

Nowhere could this be more true than with climate change and global warming. Not even the most stupid member of the human race can be unaware that something is funny with the weather.

As I write, we are in the middle of winter in the British Isles, and yet we are experiencing daytime temperatures of around 15 degrees centigrade, I'm still walking around in short-sleeve summer shirts.

We know something is wrong, and yet we are heading lemming-like over the edge of the cliff.

We know there is something wrong, and yet people still drive around in their gas-guzzling cars, when it is a little chilly in the evening in the summer, rather than put on a jumper or withdraw indoors, install a patio heater to heat the outside air, display appalling bad taste and decorate the outside of their houses at Christmas with an illuminated display, air-freight 'fresh' beans in from Kenya, have fridges in supermarkets with no doors (these are called chill cabinets), install 22 kw heaters at the doors to our shops to heat the outside world, leave all the computers running in the office, then install air conditioning to remove the excess heat, and so the list goes on.

Do we hope the problem will go way if we ignore it? Are we deliberately inviting catastrophe to prove ourselves wrong?

To fully understand global warming and climate change it is necessary that you have to read a lot, digest a lot. The amazing thing with Funny Weather is that Kate Evans has already done the work for you, and presents it in the form of an easy to understand cartoon book.

I first came across Kate's work on climate change with her original cartoon booklet that came out a few years ago. I was impressed then and ran off copies for friends.

At the Anarchist Bookfair 2006, I came across a revamped and updated edition of the cartoon booklet on a stall run by climate campaigners Rising Tide. The booklet is now available in a more extensive edition as the book Funny Weather.

A minor criticism of Funny Weather is the occasional use of Wikipedia as a referenced source. Wikipedia is a flawed source, each edit only as good as the last moron who made the edit. Anyone foolish enough to use Wikipedia as a reference risks losing their own credibility.

Minor criticism to one side, this book is an absolute must. But do not just buy a copy for yourself, buy copies for your friends and hand them out as presents. Make sure your local library and bookshop has it on their shelves.